Are you using Instagram correctly?

If you run an e-commerce store, you know that in 2017, Instagram is likely the main source of your traffic. Check out the stats for Thebabybirdboutique

So now that we know Instagram gets a gold star for bringing customers into the door; How do we find more customers? How do we get them excited about every single thing we post? How do we keep them engaged? How do we ensure what we are giving them is going to keep them around?

Let’s play a hypothetical game. You are starting a new business and just created your Instagram. What now? My top few tips to starting from scratch (or starting over/becoming more cohesive)

1.) Post on schedule.

Whether you decide on once a day, a few times a day, at least 6 times a week- whatever that may be, try your best to stick to it. That are plenty of apps for scheduling, but the best method is still YOU! (or someone you hire) My favorite thing to do is create the post, but back out before posting, creating a “draft”.

There are special factors when looking into times and frequencies to post. Those can be best identified in your business account as shown below:

By looking into your analytics, you’ll gain a lot of insight, especially when it comes to your followers and how they behave. This shows exactly when peak times are by day and hour!

2.) Creating special hashtags for your brand.

You want your customer to feel elite when shopping with you. How much more exclusive does it get then special hashtags? You don’t have to overthink this. TheBabyBirdBoutique’s top ranked hashtags include #romper #romperqueen and #babybird!

Be sure you are utilizing hashtags, and making them work into your brand. If you are ever in search of a good list, reach out and we can hook you up!

There is a hack to utilize 60 hashtags a post, but I recommend simply copy/paste your 30 into the comments to keep your feed clean!

3.) Engage with your customers.

This one is always a challenge to keep up with, but it truly is the most important. What makes small shops so unique is their ability to have the owner right at your fingertips. Reply to comments or “heart” them as much as you can. Do not dedicate hours to this task, but when you find time, go out of your way to answer questions or thank them. Additionally, posting engaging content now and again gives your feed a good mix, and forces your audience to engage more often. Here’s a great example below from a mom apparel shop:

There are a few fool proof tactics to utilizing your Instagram. including Telegram {read more about it here} Loops [ both product loops and sponsored ], 5+3=1 (explore feed-for every 5 likes and 3 comments- gain 1 follower- TRY IT!), and teams (reps/influencers/bloggers/fellow shops). There are endless possibilities that pop up daily to ensure you are using Instagram to its full potential, and once you hit 10k with a business account, you can utilize direct links in stories & create highlight files to shop from!

I hope by now, you’ve had a few aha! moments and our taking notes. This next bit is AMAZING!

*** This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you purchase services mentioned in this post.***

I met Aaron this summer in a special slack community called 10X. It’s a juried group of entrepreneurs who share ideas and network, essentially. After feeling out the community, I discovered that there were service available most small e-commerce stores didn’t even know existed. I reached out to Aaron after watchin his “hotseat” session (where one person gets to speak about their business and have a group of mentors offer advice, guidance an assurance.) He mentioned his services being on private servers, having a special, strict set of rules to increase both engagement and audience reach. I was impressed and curious, to say the least.

After getting to know him better as a human, I decided I could gamble a month to see if this was a good fit. (Most small shops have a higher level of risk assessment being bootstrappers. If they’re going to spend a dime, it better make them a dollar! This was no exception in my decision making.)

I am still on Aaron’s service 5 months later, and I am never going back!! No matter what tactics I plugged in, there was another “hack” tool coming out- and counteractively, Instagram was changing its algorithms to combat. I had the followers, hashtags, amazing content and regular posts- yet I was hitting an average of 75 likes and 4 comments. Nothing I was doing was enough.

His service is genius and simplified. His methods are flawless and deliver every time. I had to train myself to let go of control. I had a strict policy not to follow many accounts. WHY?! Just like in parenting and most other aspects of life, we give ourselves these insane rules and regulations and expect the same outcome for all restrictions. Once I gave up control and let his rhythm ground, my engagements went through the roof and my account finally reflected the standard numbers.